Urania of Flensburg   Captain Nis Brodersen 1846

The  »Urania of Flensburg«  did not surf the Internet

....

 . . .  150 years ago, but with the power of the wind to the West Indies. The journey from Flensburg to St. Croix (at that time danish colony, today one of the US Virgin Islands) took the sailing ship two to three months that time. Built in 1826 in Stettin, it was led by captains of the Brodersen Family for more than 33 years, before it fell victim to a hurricane on the 30th of September 1866 in the port of Puerto Plata (today in the Dominican Republic) after 40 years of adventurous travels to the West Indies.

The frigate was registered under the flag number Q 131 in Flensburg and had over 100 commerce loads load capacity (over 200 register tons) after two reconstructions. Asmus (Rasmus) Brodersen (1783-1858), born in Haugaard, Rinkenis at the Flensburg Fjord, moved to Flensburg-St. Jürgen and was captain and shipowner for 20 years, followed by his sons Nis (1808-1864) and Behrend (1811-1867), who led the ship for 8 and 5 years until 1859. The Urania was predominantly used as a freighter with a crew of 14 men under the Danish flag in the West Indies trade, which experienced its bloom time in Flensburg from 1814 to 1856 and justified the reputation as "rum town". From Flensburg food, building materials and coke was brought to Christiansted on St. Croix in order to get predominantly sugar, rum, color woods and spices from there by bartering. A typical travel route at the beginning of March led via Skagen through the North Sea, the British Channel and the Biskaya first to Madeira and afterwards by utilization of the trade winds directly to the Danish Caribbean Islands, which were reached in May or June. After un- and reloading, the return journey hurried, in order to escape the local autumn storms, along the North American coast and back over the Atlantic to Flensburg, where the ship was reexpected even before Christmas.

These travels were no vacation trips, an impressive description is found in a letter of Nis Brodersen to his wife and children from the 6th of December 1848 from Nyborg, Denmark, before returning to Flensburg:
 

Closely loved mother and children! After a long and very cumbersome journey I received your me so dear letter from the 28th of November. After having lost both anchors in a dreadful storm on the 29th of November, it was close to the fact that ship and charge, as our all lives had remained on the stem. God safed us and we arrived here luckily on the 1st of December. If I ever longed to complete a journey, it is certainly this one, it began opposingly and seems willingly to remain in such a way up to the latter. 16 days after having left St. Croix, we came into a storm. Most of the sails flew away, our pipe [oar] broke, the ship became so leaking that we carried it as well as on bars since then, and it is still like that. The tails of the figurehead are away on both sides and even much more. After that we have always had storm, high sea and head wind. On one day we ran aground. In the Channel we floated with storm and southern winds, therefore it was impossible for us to bring messages to the land without loosing a sailing boat. So, here you have a long description of our journey. On the 3rd of December we left here, however, we were forced to return again today. I hope, you are all fine and ask you for sending my regards to my parents, brothers and sisters. Greetings and kisses to my children and show father [captain Asmus Brodersen] this letter; in hope for good wind as soon as possible to come home quickly, embraces and kisses you your right into death faithful husband and father - Nis Brodersen.

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This photo shows ship’s captain Nis Brodersen, born on July 4th, 1808 in Flensburg, with his wife Barbara Maria, née Paulsen. For many years he led the »Urania of Flensburg« to St. Croix or towards Greenland for whale hunting. By an explosion of a harpoon gun he lost a leg and was a merchant seaman for ten further years, wearing a wooden leg after the amputation in Stavanger. Afterwards he worked for a branch on St. Croix. Nis Brodersen died on June 6th, 1864 at sea and was buried in London. His son Jürgen Brodersen (1839–1900) later took over the wholesale business for colonial goods in Flensburg »J. Brodersen, once H.P. Schmidt«, the «Indigo-yard«. This building in Angelburger Street 28 reminded of the old West Indies tradition for many more years.  After 150 years and 6 generations there is still much more to reread or to report about the West Indian travel, the frigate Urania and its captains (Haß, D.: Die Flensburger Fregatte Urania und ihre Kapitäne, Flensburg 1981; Ruehmann, H.: Von Flensburg nach Westindien, Flensburg 1997; Henningsen, L.N.: Flensburger Schiffe in der Ostsee, im Mittelmeer und in Westindien 1790-1850 - Die Sammlung Brodersen im Flensborghus, Flensburg 2005). Thank you very much for further details about the "Urania" or your e-mail greetings.   .

Nis and Maria Brodersen (about 1850)

Old Suggarmill  (St. John, Virgin Islands)

Sail with the »Urania of Flensburg« to the Virgin Islands: Stadt Flensburg Slesvigland - Die Brodersen Sammlung Slesvigland - Flensburgs enge Verbindung mit Westindien Flensburger Schiffahrtsmuseum Flensburger Rum-Museum Braasch Rum Manufaktur Museum Rumregatta Flensburg Alte Kirche zu Rinkenis Rinkenæs gamle Kirke Ziegelsteine von der Flensburger Förde Ingraban von Heiligenhafen Windstärke 8 - In 70 Tagen über den Atlantik Tall-Ship Fan: Segelschiffe mit Daten, Fotos und Geschichte Rigsarkivet: Dansk Vestindien Dansk Vestindien, Kilder til historien Dansk Vestindisk historie, Rigsarkivet Dansk Vestindisk Selskab Den Vestindiske Arv Dansk VestIndiens Venner Sønderjylland-Schleswig Kolonial: Flyer St. John Historical Society Rootsweb: U.S. Virgin Islands Restored Historic Court Records Are Returned to Virgin Islands The U.S. Virgin Islands National Park The U.S. Virgin Islands National Park (ParkVision) The U.S. Virgin Islands Tourist Guide Harry S. Pariser: Explore the Virgin Islands Postcards from Paradise

The Brodersen Family from Flensburg in Germany greets you with this homepage (01.11.2016)
and looks forward to your e-mail message:   hjb.fl@gmx.de

Dr. Hans-Jürgen Brodersen,  Dr. Brigitte Brodersen,  Jörg Stefan  and  Kay Henning
Postbox 2763, D 24917 Flensburg, telephone: +49 461  3 8344, mobile: +49 171  625 1675

The author of this translation, Joerg Stefan Brodersen, has tried to convert the source with strong precision and excuses himself therefore for any language mistakes which might be in the text.

Die Ausstellung erzählt die Geschichte Dänisch-Westindiens von der Gründung der Kolonie im 17. Jahrhundert bis zum Ende ihrer wirtschaftlichen Blütezeit Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts. Sie beschreibt die Plantagen, Städte, Forts und Kirchen und berichtet von dem Reichtum, den die Kolonie Dänemark bescherte. Gleichzeitig fragt die Ausstellung, was auf den heutigen US Virgin Islands von der dänischen Kolonialzeit übrig geblieben ist. 76% der rund 100.000 Einwohner sind Afro-Kariben. Viele von ihnen stammen von Afrikanern ab, die während der dänischen Herrschaft aus Afrika hierher gebracht wurden, um als Sklaven auf den Zuckerplantagen zu arbeiten. Dieses gemeinsame afro-dänische Erbe ist auf den Inseln noch heute überall sichtbar. Die Ausstellung wurde vom Nationalmuseum Kopenhagen übernommen.